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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Review: Mac 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush vs. Mac 187 Duo Fibre Brush

I bought the Mac 130 Short Duo Fibre brush about a month ago and I have a love/hate relationship with it. The white bristles are made from synthetic fibers, while the black bristles are made from natural fibers. Like I mentioned before, in a couple of my previous posts, when you buff your foundation in a circular motion with a duo fibre brush, the foundation will touch the natural fibers, which will cause it to shed. Brushes made of natural fibers are not meant to be used with liquid or cream products because they will damage the bristles and as a result, will shed. I just can't stress that enough.

Stippling foundation with a duo fibre brush is the preferred method because the foundation will not come in contact with the natural fibres. The problem with the Mac 130 brush is that it's nearly impossible to stipple liquid foundation with it because the top of the head is less than the size of a quarter. It's tiny! It will take me forever to apply my entire face with foundation if I used the stippling method with the Mac 130.

So, I had no other option, but to use the buffing method, which makes me cringe because I know the brush will start shedding like crazy, and no surprise, it did! It sheds like 1 to 2 hairs each time I use it, which is a pain because I have to pick the tiny hairs off of my face. I'm scared that all the hairs will fall off before I know it.

I tried applying my L'oreal True Match and my Make Up For Ever HD foundation with the brush, but both streaked. I've also tried it with my Dior Forever foundation and it didn't streak, but sometimes it would look a little blotchy. The formula of the foundation dries really quick, so I have to work really fast, but when I use the Mac 130 brush to apply it, it's hard for me to work fast because the brush is so small. In order for the Dior foundation to not look blotchy, I have to dab a little bit of the foundation on a small area of my face and then blend with Mac 130. I have to work a small section at a time, which is time consuming.

In comparison to the Mac 187 Duo Fibre brush (review), the Mac 130 is denser, shorter and smaller in general. I wish the Mac 187 was as dense and as firm as the Mac 130, but other than that, I definitely prefer the 187 for applying liquid foundation. It just gives me an airbrushed look when I use the Mac 187 to stipple my L'oreal True Match and Make Up For Ever HD foundation. However, the stippling method does not work with my Dior foundation because of the formula of the foundation. (It dries really fast.)

The Mac 130 works best for stippling concealer under the eye area, for highlighting the tops of the cheeks with cream-based products and for contouring when using cream bronzers.


The best part about this brush is that maintenance is super easy! All the liquid and cream-based products gets out of the brush after one wash without any harsh scrubbing, and dries quicker than most of my other face brushes.

The Mac 130 costs $40 and can be purchased from Nordstrom.

The total length measures 6.5 inches. The head of the brush is about a little less than 1 inch.

Please let me know if you tried the Mac 130 brush, and what foundation you use with it or what other ways you use it. =)


*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

3 comments:

  1. I love this brush for stippling on my liquid foundation! It's so worth the 20 mins of applying compared to the 5 mins with my Mac 187. However, my makeup artist at the Mac counter did buff it gently in with circular motions and I can not explain in words how different my face looked! Also, it's good for concealer under eyes because the head of this brush is so tiny, it can fit in small areas that need extra attention such as the under eyes and crevices of my nose. The 187 actually broke me out (which is kinda strange for a brush to do). However, I was fine with the 130.

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  2. @hareem87

    Yeah, I am surprised that a brush broke you out because the 187 and 130 are made of the same material. Where did you buy the 187 brush and what did you use to wash it with? Did you use the brush with a different foundation? Maybe it was the soap or foundation that broke you out.

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  3. OMG....i just bought the 130 also and it sheds like crazy...I'm annoyed.

    ReplyDelete

 
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